I just use LiquiMoly 0W-20 with the VW spec
Liqui moly solved lifter noise on my old Kadett.
Liqui Moly Molygen 5w-40
My mom's impreza will loose oil between oil changes with 0w-20 and will be fine with 5w-30. It burns the thinner oil.
My wife\u2019s 2012 Impreza is at 195k miles and I switched it to 0w-30 and then 5w-30 due to oil consumption. Was burning a quart every 1K miles on 0w-20, burns half that on 5w-30. I\u2019m actually considering going thicker.
I recently changed the engine and transmission oil in my car and opted for Liqui Moly, as from what I researched it withstands higher temperatures compared to the OEM.
The dealership here itself was using 5w-30 as the default for oil changes even though 0w-20 is stamped on the filler cap. After checking myself that Subaru said that would be OK, I started using it too for my own changes just to avoid flipping back and forth -- though I have no idea if that would be a problem. In any case, the Forester seems happy, even if the mileage may have dipped slightly.
Engine does become a bit quieter with 5w-30.
I did an oil change with liquimolly 5w-40 and added liquimolly lifter additive, and drove it for a week hoping it would go away.
Start by getting rid of that junk liqui moly and replace it with ROWE RS 5w40 (i can link many kits if need be)
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If choosing engine oil across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare engine oil across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil LIQUI MOLY were overall better than OEM Subaru.
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil LIQUI MOLY were overall more popular than OEM Subaru.
By vote balance, engine oil LIQUI MOLY surpassed OEM Subaru:
By number of reviews, engine oil LIQUI MOLY surpassed OEM Subaru:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, engine oil LIQUI MOLY led more car-specific ratings than OEM Subaru:
LIQUI MOLY are chosen by owners of cars such as: Audi A4, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Audi S4, Audi S5, Audi SQ5, Volkswagen Tiguan, and others.
OEM Subaru are chosen by owners of cars such as: Subaru Forester, Subaru Impreza, and others.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of engine oil LIQUI MOLY with: Mobil, Castrol, MOTUL, Shell, AMSOIL, VALVOLINE, PENNZOIL, RED LINE, OEM Toyota, Mannol.
Also available: comparisons of engine oil OEM Subaru with: Mobil, Castrol, MOTUL, Shell, AMSOIL, VALVOLINE, PENNZOIL, RED LINE, OEM Toyota, Mannol.
You can also see who is better among other engine oil manufacturers: Mobil or Castrol, Mobil or LIQUI MOLY, Mobil or MOTUL, Mobil or Shell, LIQUI MOLY or Castrol.
